21 Peruvian athletes made their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro; the most notable were middle-distance runner and dual American citizen David Torrence and gymnast Ariana Orrego, the youngest of the roster (aged 18).

[2][4] Peru, however, failed to win a single medal in Rio de Janeiro, continuing a drought that began at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where shooter Juan Giha took the silver in the mixed skeet.

Peru's most successful outcome at these Games occurred in taekwondo, where Julissa Diez bounced back from her early elimination to finish seventh in the women's 49 kg, losing the repechage bout to Thailand's Panipak Wongpattanakit.

London 2012 Olympian Juan Postigos earned a continental quota spot from the Pan American region, as the highest-ranked Peruvian judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.

[24] Peru has received a spare host berth freed up by Brazil as the next highest-ranked eligible nation, not yet qualified, to send a wrestler competing in the women's freestyle 58 kg to the Olympics, based on the results from the World Championships.